Prelude to the Dawn
by Nate Grey
Summary: XMan & Psylocke find they have a lot in common and no, I don't mean in the way that Marvel killed them both off!.


Note: The Psi-War has always been a bit confusing to me. I never really understood if Psylocke only lost her telepathy, or her shadow powers, too. I figured being able to move through shadows was either classified as a form of telekinesis or just magic from the Crimson Dawn. But sense X-Man still had his telekinesis (according to issue 42), I'm assuming that Psylocke lost her telepathy and nothing else.  
  
Summary: Set after the Psi-War, X-Man & Psylocke find they have a lot in common.  
  
Prelude to the Dawn  
  
(also known as: I Can't Hear the Voices, Either)  
  
by XMAN0123 (Nate Grey)  
  
  
  
He was asleep. Good.  
  
Moving silently, Betsy slipped away from the large bed, leaving her lover to dream his worrisome dreams.  
  
And of course they were worrisome; they were of her and nothing else. How could they not be?  
  
Her dreams, though…well, she hadn't had any. Not lately. Being a former telepath could do that to you. At least, she assumed it could.  
  
She seemed to be lacking in the mental capacity more and more, and not just in the expected ways, either. Her marvelous telepathy was gone, and it wasn't supervillains she needed to defend herself against now, but common headaches that somehow mutated (no pun intended) into much more painful migraines.  
  
Just last night, she'd hesitated at the video store. Not because the cashier was really a mutant-hunting Prime Sentinel, but because she hadn't been able to do the math in her head. Well, she probably could've, if she'd tried a little harder. And even when she'd paid him, she couldn't be sure by the look on his face if he thought she was stupid or just crazy.  
  
A week before, while standing on the balcony with Warren, he'd asked if she still loved him. After a long moment, she'd said, "I don't know." Then she'd left him there, alone, confused, and hurt. And she didn't need her telepathy to know that.  
  
The situation was worse than she'd realized. It wasn't just her telepathic powers that had left her…it was her mind. For so long, Elisabeth Braddock had used her mental prowess to define herself as a woman and an X-Man. Now that it was all gone, what was she? Who was she? And could she really, truly live with whatever she had become?  
  
She feared that if her sacrifice had failed…if it hadn't been enough, and somehow, someway, the Shadow King escaped, she would end it all. Because it would mean that everything she gave up, everything she was, her very essence…had been worth nothing.  
  
Wrapping a ceremonial robe tightly around her, Betsy phased through the ceiling and floated to the roof, wondering if the cold of a winter's night would be a better place to think. If she'd still had her powers, she might've detected the stranger there before she actually saw him.  
  
He was sitting against the chimney, surrounded in a golden, telekinetic bubble to keep the cold out. The look on his face was that of one who's lost his best friend and more—a look Betsy imagined she'd had, just after losing her telepathy.  
  
She stayed where she was, watching him for a while, before realizing she knew him. He was Nate Grey, possibly one of the most powerful psi-talents on the planet…until SHE happened to the astral plane, anyway. Now, he was just like her…mindblind. But apparently, he could still make use of the power he had left. Although she wished she could determine just why he'd chosen her rooftop for a perch this night.  
  
"It hurts, doesn't it?" she whispered.  
  
He blinked and turned to look at her. "What?"  
  
Idiot, she scolded herself. He can't read your thoughts now. "No telepathy. Like you're…"  
  
"Broken," Nate offered, turning away. "You're Psylocke, right?"  
  
"I was," she sighed, coming to stand next to him. "Just Elisabeth Braddock now. You?"  
  
"Was X-Man, part-time fortune teller, and full-time mutant psi. Now…plain Nate Grey."  
  
"Or not-so-plain Nate Grey," she pointed out, tapping the bubble.  
  
He shrugged, automatically extending it to include her. "I figure it's all I got left, until I can find out what happened to me back there in the astral plane."  
  
She sat down next to him. "Don't bother. I can tell you. I was there."  
  
He looked at her and almost smirked. "I sensed it had something to do with the X-Men, right before I got hit. So I trust there's a good reason for all this?"  
  
"Yes and no," Betsy admitted. "I walked into a trap, not realizing until it was too late. But traps have always been the Shadow King's expertise."  
  
"Shadow King," Nate murmured. "If he's anything like the one I knew, it's no wonder we're in this mess. But you stopped him…right?"  
  
"Right. All it took was my telepathy…and everyone else's." She lowered her head. "I'm…so sorry, Nate."  
  
"Don't be. I've lost my powers before, and it's almost a good thing. The more I use, the faster I die. I figure you saved me a couple of months, at least. Even if you hadn't done it, my body would've shut down sooner or later."  
  
"But that doesn't make it any easier, does it?" Betsy asked quietly.  
  
"Yes and no," he replied. "I'll live it a little longer…but it does feel weird. I never knew who I could trust, and my telepathy helped me determine that. Now, though…"  
  
"You hide on rooftops?" she guessed with a smile.  
  
He laughed. "Yeah. A little habit I picked up from Spidey, I guess. But at least I'm not talking to gargoyles yet."  
  
"He's a good man, and a better friend."  
  
"One of the few good ones I do have left. Bet I could count them on one hand."  
  
"Go for it."  
  
"Okay, fine." Nate cleared his throat. "Theresa, Forge, Mastermind, Brute…whoops, they're all dead."  
  
Betsy didn't laugh.  
  
"Let's try again. Threnody? Haven't seen her in months, and she probably hates me."  
  
Betsy grabbed his hand before he could put the finger away. "Did you love her? Do you still?"  
  
Nate stared at her for a long moment. He didn't say anything, but when she pulled her hand away, he kept the finger out. "Maddie…I doubt it, after she left me."  
  
"Try the real Jean Grey," Betsy said, pulling out another of his fingers. "And Joey. Galen. John. Elaine. Well, looks like we made it to two hands."  
  
"Barely," Nate argued weakly.  
  
"Let's not forget Rogue," Betsy went on. "She is your friend, isn't she? And Moira McTaggert. Rahne Sinclair. That's almost your whole second hand."  
  
"One finger left, though."  
  
"Maybe…not?" she asked softly, looking into his eyes.  
  
Nate frowned and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Okay, you made your point."  
  
"What happened between you and Threnody?"  
  
"I gave her a choice, and she turned her back on me."  
  
"Really? What did she say?"  
  
"She didn't say anything," Nate replied. "She just didn't come back to me."  
  
"That doesn't mean she didn't want to, Nate. I can't count how many times I've pushed Warren away, even though I knew we loved each other. But sometimes, it's beyond your control, and you can't get what you want."  
  
I guess it makes sense, Nate thought. Just a few days ago, I sensed Thren back at the cabin in Switzerland. And the moment I mentioned her name, Maddie went nuts. Even if Thren had found me, Maddie would've tried to kill her.  
  
"Maybe she already did," Betsy whispered.  
  
Nate's head snapped up. "You…heard me?!"  
  
She stared at him. I guess I did.  
  
Our telepathy…it's back?!  
  
She nodded. "Looks like it. What do you think caused it?"  
  
"Don't know," Nate replied. "Do you really think Thren might be dead?"  
  
"Well, between Madelyne Pryor, Threnody, and the Brotherhood, you keep some pretty deadly company. No way they're all going to get along. And none of the X-Men can say a single good thing about Pryor…except that she WAS dead."  
  
"Until I came along."  
  
"It's not your fault, Nate. You were just reaching out for the person you needed most."  
  
"The person I needed most is dead, along with the rest of my world. Threnody was the only person that wanted me for something other than my powers. She wanted…me."  
  
"Then why aren't you out there looking for her?" Betsy asked.  
  
"I'm still not sure she wants to be found."  
  
"Threnody's implants make her difficult to sense, but you sensed her. She wants you to find her."  
  
"How is it you know so much about Thren and me?"  
  
Betsy shrugged. "After this whole mess started, I thought I'd do some research on the people I was hurting most. Your name was first on the list, and Threnody's popped up in your file."  
  
"So Xavier's been keeping tabs on me?"  
  
"Not just you. He keeps tabs on mutants everywhere, but the potentially dangerous ones especially. You and Threnody could be a lethal pair, if you put your minds to it. Hopefully, it's not too late for one of you."  
  
"Lethal or not, I still want to find her. My power is killing me, and hers feeds off death energy. It's like we were made for each other. I just don't know where to start looking…"  
  
"You could try her roots. Her parents may not have been fond of her being a mutant, but I think you'll find her grandmother had a different opinion."  
  
Nate looked skeptical. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"You seem to be convinced that you're going to die soon, Nate. I figure you might as well die happy. You can think of it as a peace offering."  
  
"Peace offering?"  
  
"Yes. The next time you run into a bunch of X-Men, try talking instead of telekinesis. They're not as bad as you seem to think. Not all of them, anyway." She stood up and rubbed her arms. "I'd better go. Warren will be worried if he doesn't find me next to him."  
  
Nate caught her hand. "Psylocke…I just…"  
  
"Betsy."  
  
"What?"  
  
She smiled at him. "My friends call me Betsy. Out of costume, of course."  
  
"Oh, right. Well, Betsy…thanks. I mean it."  
  
She nodded and squeezed his hand before walking away. "You're welcome, Nate. Give my regards to Mahalia Jacobs, if you can find her."  
  
"Count on it." In a flash of golden psionic energy, he was gone, soaring across the night sky.  
  
"Good luck, Nate. I hope you find what you're looking for."  
  
Yeah. You, too, Betsy. Now get back inside before your boyfriend thinks you've found another angel.  
  
Betsy smiled as she phased through the roof and touched down in her bedroom. Maybe I have, Nate. Maybe I have…  
  
  
  
Dedicated to the memory of my two favorite mental mutants. May they rest in peace… 


End file.
